Having put themselves under finals-like pressure with a shock loss, Sydney are confident they can respond with finals-like intensity in Sunday's ANZ Stadium AFL clash with St Kilda.

Defender Heath Grundy said the Swans were sorely disappointed with an uncharacteristically uncompetitive showing in last weekend's 43-point loss to Richmond, in which the basic elements of their game went missing.

"It was a game we probably should have won and made it a lot easier to secure our spot in the top eight," Grundy said.

"I guess now it's do or die, we've got to win this week.

"We just want to get back to what we do best and that's pressure and tackling and, if we can do that, it should help us to have a good win."

The eighth-placed Swans' toughest task against the sixth-placed Saints is likely to be posting a decent score.

The Saints have returned to their defensive best in recent weeks, conceding an average of just 60 points in their past seven games, which included six straight wins before last round's 19-point defeat to top-placed Collingwood.

Grundy said the key to defying the Saints' defensive pressure was to win the contested ball and pump it into attack fast.

"One of their strengths is their press and the way they set up and they've got a pretty strong defence as well," he said.

"I think if we can use the ball well and be aggressive against them and get it deep in our forward line before they get too set up, we can beat them one-on-one hopefully and get a few shots.

"Just playing to our strengths, winning our one-on-ones and getting the ball forward and putting them under the pump with some deep entries."

The Swans made four changes, with the only forced cut the loss of tall defender Lewis Roberts-Thomson with a calf injury, leaving Grundy and Ted Richards to handle Saints big forwards Nick Riewoldt and Justin Koschitzke.

"Hopefully me and Teddy Richards can help each other out down there and take some of the load off each other and work together," Grundy said.

Nick Malceski, Gary Rohan, Matt Spangher and Jesse White are the inclusions, while the Saints named an unchanged side.

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